The Confirmation (2016) User Reviews

a young boy learns more about human values in a weekend than many learn in a lifetime

[CineMuseFilms · 7/10 · 2 October 2016]

At one level The Confirmation (2016) is a simple and endearing story of a young boy spending a weekend bonding with his recovering-alcoholic father. However, the Catholic ritual in the film's title and the church confessionals that bookend the film suggest more serious themes. Although labelled a comedy, the story is really a dramatic portrait of the growing distance between traditional notions of morality and the ethical relativities of today's post-GFC world.

Eight year-old Anthony (Jaeden Lieberher) has not spent much time with his father Walt (Clive Owen) since the divorce, and when mum has a weekend away with her new husband it is a rare chance for father and son to bond. Walt has a lot of issues, including alcohol, unemployment, a foreclosed mortgage and a broken down truck, so the weekend does not look promising for Anthony whose confirmation is only a week away. When thieves steal Walt's specialised hand- made carpenter tools, the pair spend the weekend tracking them down and in the process get to know each other. It is an emotional journey through neighborhoods that have hit hard times and where even thieves are pitiable and forgiven. There are several near-encounters with real danger and scenes of conventional comedy where many conservative parental boundaries are ignored. Through it all, it is a story about an irresponsible loser whose life is being turned around through the emerging relationship with his over-responsible son.

The film starts with an impatient priest urging an innocent child to confess his sins and ends with him amazed at just how many sins can be committed in such a short time. In between, of course, Anthony had a coming of age journey in the real-world. Some may think the narrative unoriginal and the adult-child inversion a predictable cliché. But it does not look or feel like that. It is a heart- warming and tightly scripted two-hander with everything anchored by excellent acting performances that balance emotional insight with a well-paced plot line. Owen plays an unstable but good man, and his performance is pitched at just the right level to be both convincing and likable. However, the real star is Lieberher who authentically plays wise-beyond-his-age innocence and growing understanding of his father. Their synergy together is delightful. The moral of the story is that what priests expect and life delivers are vastly different, and young Anthony has learnt more about human values in a weekend than many learn in a lifetime.

Carpenter father, struggling alcoholism and unemployment, bonds with his young son. Endearing family portrait. Great acting.

[imseeg · 7/10 · 27 June 2019]

Clive Owen plays the part of an alcohol addicted father, who is strugling to get by, being unemployed. Being divorced he only gets to see his young son during the weekend, in which they bond through a number of unforeseen events.

Endearing portrait of family life with divorced parents. Great acting. Slowburning, mellow mood. Suited for young and old.

OK movie, but not comedy

[williamsd-8 · 7/10 · 18 June 2016]

If you come to this looking for a comedy, you'll be badly disappointed. I'm not sure how this can be classified as comedy at all - there were some vaguely humorous exchanges, and some moments of mirth worthy of a wry grin (mainly from the young lead actor), but nothing bordering on comedy.

However, if you come looking for a feelgood, generally light movie suitable for the whole family (teens and up), complete with enough moments of drama to keep it interesting, you will be satisfied. Not over the top delirious, but happy that your time and money wasn't wasted.

Excellent film - such a good work of art

[RussHog · 7/10 · 10 October 2016]

This is a beautiful little art house film about an alcoholic father who has his son for a weekend - and they bond of a series of misadventures were they work as a team to get back the father's box of stolen tools.

The father is played by the masterful Clive Owen - who is seemingly solid in any project he works on.

The film has one great scene in particular - where Clive experiences alcohol withdrawals. As a recovering alcoholic myself - who has been clean five years - I have gone through withdrawals - and it is a harrowing experience and to see this played out live - and the fear it puts the child through - it really hit home to me.

The performance of the children actors in this movie is also noteworthy - as they hold their own and deliver some masterful work.

I believe this was a remake of a foreign film called The Bike Thief - but I have never seen that movie and I just thought this one was solid.

We live in a world where Hollywood makes a fortune off terrible films that have no soul - and it is always great to see a solid dramatic film with great characters.

Lack of Tension is Seductive

[dansview · 7/10 · 18 August 2016]

The film makers chose not to feature the intense desperation of the Italian film The Bicycle Thief, used zero profanity, and a deadpan kid. Those may actually be reasons why some would dislike this film, but I found it all oddly seductive.

Like another reviewer mentioned, nobody was vicious or truly mean here. Almost everyone, despite their poverty, had soul. Imagine a world where even in a gray desperate setting, people restrain themselves from the savagery that such places evoke in the real world.

Some may ask why you need to cast a British guy in a film set in Washington and filmed in Canada. But I found Owen endearing and the dialogue he was given sublime. Someone decided that his face and demeanor fit the character, and I believe they did. Good call.

Most of the "stars" are not really stars, and I appreciated seeing them get some work. Robert Forster is perfect for these roles, and Maria Bello totally looked the part.

I don't know why they needed to make the boy be eight years old. The actor was way older than that. Clearly an eight year old would not be able to think or act as this one did. They should have made him 10, although the actor was 12. The unbelievable age thing was an awkward glitch for me.

I'm glad they didn't use a soundtrack. The silence helped illustrate the depressed nature of the town. I've been to a depressed town in Washington. It's real.

For whatever reasons, these film makers made the choice to present this story in a sort of Jim Jarmusch existentially absurd way. I liked that approach and did not judge it by other potential ways of doing it. I accepted it for what it was.

Enjoyable

[fmwongmd · 7/10 · 23 February 2019]

Good acting, good story, and solid acting by Oliver Owen an d newcomer Jaeden Lieberher.

Clive Owen is Outstanding in Thoughtful Character Study

[lavatch · 7/10 · 24 June 2016]

The strength of "The Confirmation" is the sensitive portrayal of an alcoholic father, as played by Clive Owen. Owen's character Walt has visitation rights with his son, Anthony, and the film traces a wild weekend of "bonding" between father and son.

The film is primarily a drama, but it includes comic moments, especially in the cast of seedy characters. Anthony is the little boy who plays the role of caretaker for his beleaguered dad. There is a fine supporting cast with Maria Bello, Matthew Modine, and Robert Forster. But the focal point is that of Owen's character and his youngster, played effectively by Jaeden Lieberher.

SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWS: The one curious choice on the part of the filmmakers was to close the film with the theft of the father's tools from a pawn shop. While the film was attempting to pay homage to Vittorio De Sica's famous film "Bicycle Thieves" from 1948, the final sequence didn't work. Unfortunately, the theft of the tools was teaching a horrible lesson to the young boys, and it made no sense in the logic of the film. Surely the owners of the pawn shop would have had Owen's character and the boys prosecuted.

"The Confirmation" is set in Kent, Washington. There was good footage of the community, which helped to draw the viewer into the film. One of the subtleties of the film was to convey the hardscrabble life of Americans in the twenty-first century. In watching this film, one was almost reminded of America in the Great Depression of the 1930s.

If I had to chose between the new Marvel movie and this one I would choose this one hands down.

[cosmo_tiger · 9/10 · 1 May 2016]

"I don't know what kind of trouble he can get in in a day." Anthony (Lieberher) is 8 years old and is about to be confirmed in the Catholic Church. He has a hard time thinking of a time he sinned and lives life without conflict at all. When his mother and step-dad go on a retreat he isn't excited about spending the weekend with his alcoholic dad Walt (Owen). What starts off as a typical weekend with him slowly changes into 2 days that change the lives of both of them. This is just a great movie. This has everything I want in one. Great acting, a great story and nothing too over the top or unbelievable but touching and heartfelt regardless. It was just a pleasure to watch the interaction between the father and son and how, without overtly trying, they help each other to become better people. This is a very good family movie and is one that you can watch and enjoy with everyone. Every once in a while a movie comes along that needs to be talked up in order to get the audience it deserves. This is one of those movies. If I had to chose between the new Marvel movie and this one I would choose this one hands down. What you lose in effects and action you make up for in acting and story. To me that is more important. Overall, a movie I highly recommend and the best family movie since Little Boy. I easily give this a A.

Not a bad film at all

[MovieIQTest · 20 March 2016]

Clive Owen and the kid actor who played his son both did a very good jobs in this tiny little film. Although it was shot in Canada, but it showed that the two countries in North America both suffered greatly for their majority poverty of their people, the run-down urban neighborhood, the poor relations between husbands and wives, the horrible and dreary lives of their kids after their marriages dissolved; even they could still barely maintain their matrimony lives, the poverty they are facing is predictably unavoidable.

The writer/director obviously didn't know too much of pawning his belongings to any pawnshop in Canada or in the United States. A box of overly used old tools without even one power tool could be pawned for $400.00?! IN YOUR WET DREAM! That box of old carpentry tools might only worth $20.00 in the eyes of any pawn shop owner or operator. If it could be pawned over $50.00, then the pawnshop must also be a charity organization!

This film also told us how drinking like drugs could ruin your life, your relationship to anyone including your marriage. But the most alarming message of this film is the undeniable fact of how dirt, filthy poor these people in both countries are, how the social infra-structure of both countries are in a desolate situation and most of them were already in ruin. These poor majority could only use religion to fool themselves with limited wishful thinking. They never know that it is both of their government and their elected politicians ruined their countries and their lives, and God has nothing to do with any of it. Of course, if the so-called imaginary entity really existed.

VIEWS ON FILM review of The Confirmation

[burlesonjesse5 · 7/10 · 15 June 2016]

It feels like a lifetime since I've seen Clive Owen in a movie. I thought he retired from acting. No matter. He shines like nobody's business in 2016's The Confirmation, a sort of cinematic slice of grated Americana (even though it was filmed in Canada). While watching this thing, you kinda wish it was all shot in black and white. Either way, I was easily enthralled.

Owen plays Walt, an alcoholic trying to abstain from his intrusive habit. He goes through withdrawal, avoids temptation when he sees nothing but wussy wine coolers in his ex-wife's refrigerator, and turns his head when he drives up to various taverns. He knows that if he gets intoxicated, he'll never get to hang out with his son Anthony again (played wonderfully by Midnight Special's Jaeden Lieberher). Speaking of his son, well Anthony's first Confirmation and/or Communion is coming up. This vehicle chronicles him and daddy-o spending a weekend together leading up to those events.

Clive Owen stripping himself down, shucks a cocky air and dives deep into character. His Walt in a sense, is a good person on the inside but at the same time, a down on his luck kind of guy. He's getting evicted from his house, his car won't start, and the tools he uses for his odd jobs in carpentry, have all been stolen. At a running time of 90 minutes, Walter and Anthony try to track down the thief of said tools and bond quietly in the process.

Bottom line: The Confirmation despite being a little too dogged and small scale, is still a winner much of the way. With facile chemistry between the leads, it's more entertaining and less arty than most independent flicks.

Containing a hoot of a supportive performance from Patton Oswalt, an almost unrecognizable Matthew Modine, and a setting complacent to the state of Washington (at least that's what the license plates revealed), "Confirmation" reminded me of 2000's Wonder Boys, last year's Grandma, and an Alexander Payne film (it seems logical being that director Bob Nelson wrote Payne's Oscar-nominated Nebraska). What's on screen is character-driven and whimsical with a certain aroma of sadness. In essence, it's like a road trip movie confined to a medium-sized town in which various, peculiar people fade in and out. And since The Confirmation is billed as a comedy, the humor is there but it's invariably dry and off-kilter. You have to pay really close attention in order to catch any truthful zingers (if you do laugh, it distracts you from what is otherwise a depressing yet rewarding experience).

Rookie director Bob Nelson keeps the atmospherics damp and overcast but lets his camera mainly capture the forgotten love between father and son. He also wants you the viewer, to fixate on whether or not Walt can get his act together and get his misunderstood life back on track. Nelson edits in chunks as "Confirmation" goes back and forth between coming-of-age eradication (Anthony can't decide what to say at Confession, can't decide if he should go to church, and thinks he's not being true to his Catholic faith) and chronic alcoholism tutorials (when Walt can't get his hands on a stiff drink, he talks to himself and has weird stomach pains).

Lastly, despite some rough edges to go along with a questionable PG-13 rating, The Confirmation still has a twangy, feel good soundtrack, decent camera-work echoing all things Payne, and a sense of being stately offbeat (that's a good thing, trust me). Rating: A "confirmed" 3 stars.

a Remake of THE BICYCLE THIEVES

[g.barlas · 5/10 · 24 March 2016]

A remake of Vittorio De Sica (director) and Cesare Zavattini (script)neo-realist classic I Ladri di Biciclette (soon to be released by Criterion on bluray) from 1948... This one holds itself rather moderately on the basis of the strength of the original film.. Nice move to take the story today's USA... Good and earnest performances from the leads and an excellent acting job from the child actor... And the question is, there is this excellent film before you, why on earth make a remake? I am not moved by this film, competently, professionally done but not an earth-shaker...I miss the soul of the human drama...I should say, why bother?

Confirming the Value of The Confirmation

[SteveMierzejewski · 8/10 · 3 June 2016]

This is one film where the synopsis does not do the film justice. If I had only read that, I doubt if I would have watched the film at all. Even though the summary is correct, it fails to elucidate the subtleties in the plot and the fine acting that underpins the storyline.

First of all, I hate films that feature kids. The kids are all stereotyped in most films. Either they are too cute or too cynical, spoiled, and arrogant to be compelling. You can be sure that 1) they will be the one that cause the problems or 2) they will be transformed into 'good kids' by the end of the film.

Jaeden Lieberher, who plays the main kid role, is believable. Clive Owen, who I think is often underrated as an actor, does his usual solid performance as a recovering alcoholic-father. But it is the supporting actors who bring this slice-of-life drama to perfection. The emotional fine points in the plot could not have come through without them.

After watching it myself, I decided to watch the film with my 13-year-old son. Normally, he likes the action movie, super hero, special effects-laden films, so this was a bit of a transition. The verdict? He could associate with a lot of the interactions that went on in the film from a kid's point of view and enjoyed watching it. Adults will like it for the insights into adult relationships.

It will not be for everyone. I would guess most kids will be waiting for the next exploding car or 15 minute fight scene, which will never happen, just as they never happen so frequently in real life.

I know this film will pass largely unnoticed, which is why I felt obliged to write a review of it. There are those filmgoers out there who still appreciate a good film in its purest form.

Small and simple but admirable movie

[akcenat · 7/10 · 26 December 2018]

Bonnie ex-wife of Walt (Clive Owen) asks him if he can keep their 8-year-old son Anthony for a night while she and her new husband go on a church couples retreat. The boy is supposed to stay out of trouble as he prepares for his confirmation, though it's not easy as everything surrounding him becomes a challenge of morality. Walt agrees and the story follows their eventful 24 hours together. As Walt, and Anthony, set about finding the guy who stole the tools from his truck, they begin to discover a true connection with each other.

"The Confirmation" is a small and simple but admirable movie with feel good soundtrack well worth seeking out. There is a huge supporting cast of recognizable actors like Patton Oswalt, Maria Bello, Robert Forster and Matthew Modine. Also, I do like very much Clive Owen as an actor, but I think he was miscast here. At the same time, production is low key but effective, making the most of its Pacific Northwest locations. Script overall was weak, and story battles periodically with sluggishness but there are some good pieces of dialogue and some touching scenes, no matter that (for me) story had very subtle anti Faith/religious/Christian parts, but it also could be said (by the authors) that sometimes doing wrong just might be the right thing. Unfortunately, film in general, wasn't anything with huge developments but embraced a-day-in-the-life of this more common family in the struggles of the USA. 6+/7-

I tried to like it, but...

[fatref350 · 4/10 · 9 August 2016]

"The Confirmation" tried waaaaay too hard to cover all the bases - and missed every one. If Bob Nelson, the writer/director, had just focused on, say, three aspects, the movie might have been better. Instead, this movie tried to deal with divorce, step-parents, science nerds, alcoholism, meth heads, burglary, kids playing with guns, dead beat dads, questioning the validity of the Catholic church, scary priests, unemployment, eviction, teaching your kid to box, your kid teaching you to play video games, different music styles, car repairs, being stopped by the cops, trespassing, daddy issues that are solved in 1 day - it goes on and on. Jaeden Lieberher, the kid from "St. Vincent," was much better in that than this. Maria Bello has always been a second-rate actress and proved it once again by standing around like furniture. Clive Owen, who I like, tends to make bad choices - quite often. This was one of them. His accent changed from sentence to sentence and there was no chemistry whatsoever between him and the kid. Patton Oswalt, Robert Forster and Matthew Modine were a waste of space. I tried to like this movie - I really tried. Unfortunately, it was just too clichéd and too crowded with unbelievable scenarios and weak acting.

Pleasant but not very memorable

[S_Soma · 6/10 · 7 August 2016]

The words you would most likely use to describe "The Confirmation" would be along the lines of "amusing", "enjoyable", and "nice". "Hysterical", "inspirational", and "engrossing" would be far too emphatic for this picture.

The premise is uncomplicated. A divorced, alcoholic father, Walt, gets his 8-year-old son, Anthony, for the weekend while his ex-wife and her replacement husband leave town for a weekend trip. His ex stresses that the son, Anthony, needs to stay out of trouble because next week is his first communion and confirmation. Within minutes of the beginning of the movie we're made to understand how concerned she is about her ex-husband being up task of looking after Anthony for the weekend.

Not long after he picks up his son, it's discovered that the tools Walt needs to work a job opportunity on Monday (which he desperately needs since he has been evicted from his home and his truck has broken down) has been stolen out of the back of his truck.

Walt and Anthony then spend the bulk of the movie attempting to track down his missing tools that he so desperately needs.

An almost hypnotic element of the movie is that nearly all the characters seem to inhabit a world where everyone is unrealistically inoffensive. There are fisticuffs and thievery, lots of lying, and a little harmless B & E for flavor, but in general the conflicts are strangely gentle.

Take the fistfights and physical confrontations: have you ever personally watched a T-ball game? You kind of end up rooting for all the players regardless of which team they're on. The players all seem confused and not entirely clear on what's supposed to be happening. You just sort of want someone to be successful at what they're doing because so little success is happening overall.

Here's an example. Along the way Walt and Anthony pick up Drake as an aid to tracking down the missing toolbox. Drake leads them eventually to two brothers, Tucker and Trout, who operate a small garage. Before long, when confronted, Trout decides he doesn't like being accused of stealing a toolbox and out comes a semiautomatic which he points at Walt, Anthony and Drake. At about that point, Walt's ex, Anthony's mom, calls Anthony on his cell phone to check up on Anthony and make sure he's okay. Politely, the gun goes out of sight until the phone call is over. Not really sure why. But it comes back out again when the call ends. Eventually Tucker tells Trout to put the gun away because he can tell just by looking at Walt that he's "hurting", presumably sensing how Walt is struggling with alcohol withdrawal. Suddenly Drake just decides to ignore the presence of a gun and proceeds to paw his way through their shop looking for the toolbox, which isn't there, and Walt and Anthony and Tucker strike up a conversation. Tucker pleasantly admits that he and Trout both "love Drake, but he sometimes gets funny ideas". What comes out in the wash is that Drake has a screw loose and is probably currently on meth but just really really wanted to help. He really likes helping people; he's just not very good at it.

The whole movie is like that. I think the only truly mean characters in the whole movie are the pawnshop owner and his boy. Even the new husband of the ex-wife isn't a villain and tries very hard to make Walt feel welcome. And when we finally catch up with the thief, he and his wife and two little girls are far more pathetic than they are evil, and all Walt and Anthony can do is just walk away.

This movie is described as a comedy, but I don't know if it's really legitimate to say that. It's certainly not a tragedy or a drama; the dramatic elements are more sort of gently goofy than dramatic.

The movie's depiction of alcoholism and its effects are unreasonably optimistic which is kind of a clunky note. Delirium tremens, unmonitored and treated can lead to death in many instances, and is one of the more dangerous addictions to recover from. One bad night and then pretty much functional the next day is not very realistic in my experience.

You will not laugh or cry but will probably smile and might even chuckle once or twice. Walt and Anthony and Bonnie and the new husband all pretty much end up liking each other. Walt and Anthony have had a pretty grand adventure together for a weekend and the two of them now feel a bond that was missing, and you'll go home happy that Walt got his tools back.

Not a hilarious comedy.

[chirst-77371 · 6/10 · 2 April 2021]

This was a nice family drama but in no way a comedy, and not hilarious as described.

Heartfelt, warm should be called boy to man..

[susanmellups-94390 · 16 February 2017]

Number one this movie would be perfect for an Al Anon meeting; not that they watch films. But the struggle of the down at his luck father and his forthrightness with his young son is heartbreaking. There is much to feel good about The Confirmation. It is on Netflix now, so if you like a beautiful, quiet story, set aside an evening to curl up and watch this one.

Spoiler alert: no animals or people were injured in this film

Low-key Family Drama with Implausible Ending

[shadytree-34066 · 7/10 · 26 October 2016]

Having read all of the above reviews, I won't waste space by summarizing the story line again. Four points: one, the title is murky; the Anthony's (the son) confirmation is an event that happens after the movie ends; granted, the young son's weekend with his father is a rite of passage, but I don't think the title ties it in; two, I like the fact that the movie has one singular objective, which is to find the Walt's toolbox; in a way, the father's future hangs on it; three, I thought the casting and performances were fine, sincere, workmanlike; the best performance of Clive Owen I've seen is "Words and Pictures"; (check it out); four, the ending was unsatisfying and unrealistic, as another reviewer pointed out; SPOILER ALERT: Walt, Anthony, and Allen return to the pawn shop; Allen steals the toolbox, runs out; all three jump in the car and drive away;cut to the end of the movie, where father and son have a bonding moment and "life will be good." How can it be "good" when, assuming the pawnshop owner is not an idiot, that he wrote down the license plate and contacted the police; Walt used his ex-wife's car which will be traced back to him. The pawnshop owner can identify Walt from their first ruinous encounter. Not being a student of law and not wanting to take the time to elaborate on the crimes committed, I will only say the consequences for Walt, Anthony, and Bonnie (Walt's ex) will damage their relationships. How could writer/director Bob Nelson ignore this outcome? Up to this point, the picture was grounded in the grittiness of the harsh world; Nelson, not dealing with this plot point, spoiled the picture for me.

Coming-of-age: A boy's real world encounter.

[Reno-Rangan · 8/10 · 4 September 2016]

For the first time direction, it is not a bad film. The 'Nebraska' writer did his best and I'm totally surprised how this little Canadian gem was not recognised extensively. In fact, it is one of the best films of the year among the PG13 ratings. A drama about a divorced freelance carpenter who babysits his son on a weekend, adventuring the city while preparing for his work on the Monday. When someone stole his tools, they both go after to look who took it and that takes the whole film to cover with some other small events on the side.

Truly a heartwarming drama. You can compare it to films like 'The Pursuit of Happiness', but it had its own way dealing with the story contents. This is not a comedy, but slightly it is fun, as well as inspiring. It narrates the world is full of good and bad, and how we react to them accordingly. Particularly the main character who was desperate to come out of the bad day and to have some quality time with his son. It actually stayed neutral on the topics like theism and atheism, which has some influence in the narration, but revolved carefully around the social and other issues. So that makes there are more things to care about than fighting for nonsenses. That was really a good thing to focus on, maybe that's why I loved it.

The opening and the end take place in the same location, but the difference was the 24 hours and its events. During that time, a boy who was struggling between what his mother believes and his doubts over those beliefs were somewhat influenced to clear his mind. I mean it was not intentional, the film to explain us through the boy, but they were described in the way of someone's daily life base, except it was not an ordinary day for him/them. It was a quite interesting take, and in the current world scenario, this is a wonderful theme for a film which also has high entertainment value.

"Well, I don't know what kind of trouble he can get in in a day."

I don't know the Christian commandment (or any religious's equivalent) that referred in it, especially the meaning of the title, but according to the writer, he wanted to tell what happens if a good behaving young boy breaks all the rule in just one day. Besides, a bit of his own life experience, as well as the outline was inspired by 'Bicycle Thieves'. I don't know how the religious people take it, but I enjoyed it, kind of it is an awareness theme about the reality of the human world. So my disappointment is not the film, but how it was received. Once again an English film from the other region was turned down by the Americans. I hope the rest of the world won't react same way.

It revolved between a father and son characters, so the side contributions were good, but does not require any praise. The Clive Owen, who I consider an ordinary actor was brilliant in this. He is not in any film franchise, especially the current trends superheroes and/or sci-fi, though happy to see him in such a beautiful one-off film. The boy was equally good, especially after the good show from 'St. Vincent', this is his another great character display. Looks like he's going to be a big name in the future.

You can't believe it is just a 2 million dollar film. Great production quality with good performances, a better outcome than usual film with the same production value. From my perspective, it is an underrated film and also an undernoticed film. A fine film for everyone, particularly for the family audience. These are reasons why children as well should watch it, like there are no sexual or drug related material in it. Though the real reason is there are some contents that might help them to understand about such as financially struggling and sober parents, the reality of the society and as a coming-of-age film, it always kept its priorities on the top while narrating the tale, especially from the children's viewpoint.

8/10

Bland at best

[selena-71096 · 1/10 · 12 May 2016]

The Confirmation, the movie about stolen tools, is a very boring and bland with a plot full of cliché of any sorts and needless dialogues. The very beginning when mother of the boy was lecturing her ex-husband clearly indicated that it was going to be a drab. And it sure was. Honestly I don't get Jaeden Lieberher as a young actor. HIs performance in Midnight Special was non-existent and it was no different in this movie- the same one dimensional facial expression with few forced smiles here and there. It puzzles me how and why he was selected for this and other movies, he appears to have no acting talent. It was not best Clive Owen's performance, and two of them had zero on screen chemistry. The movie is neither a comedy nor a drama. I did not get why church and religion was brought into this film either.

Father and Son relationship at its best

[rj-27 · 8/10 · 2 September 2016]

It's no accident that about a third of the way through the movie, Clive Owen and Jaeden Lieberher, as father and son in The Confirmation are watching an old episode of The Rifleman - the quintessential TV western that was more about a father relating to his son in difficult and dire situations than it was about his gun.

Clive Owen plays a divorced, alcoholic father who sees his son Jaeden Lieberher on weekends. One particular weekend, the father has his woodworking tools stolen. These are specialized carpentry tools that are irreplaceable. The son accompanies his dad on a series of misadventures in an attempt to recover the lost tools, which he must have for an upcoming job that he desperately needs.

While a comparison can be made to the classic The Bicycle Thief, this movie stands on its own merits as an endearing case study of a boy's love for his father, willing to do whatever it takes to keep him on the straight and narrow path, and enabling both parent and child to rise to the occasion and succeed.

This is a wonderful role for Owen and it is beautifully played. While Lieberher's character may seem a bit more precocious than would be expected of such a young boy, it does not come off as unbelievable.

This is a movie the whole family can enjoy, all the more so because of its timeless themes of suffering and redemption, and not portraying fathers as the likely losers you so often see in Hollywood these days.

Unbelievable due to nonsensical plot breaks. Waste of time.

[non_mechanical · 2/10 · 17 June 2016]

Strike 1 - Walt goes through extreme alcohol withdrawals, a la Nicholas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas. In the context of this movie this is completely unbelievable. The film simply does not establish the amount of drinking that must be done to get to that point of that kind of withdrawal. Walt has one drink, one drink in the bar scene, and that all we see of him actually drinking, and later that night he is going through withdrawals.

Strike 2 - When Walt & Anthony turn the car on (the one without brakes), Walt calls the music "metal," when it isn't even close to metal. A very sad way for the writers to be exposed as old and out of touch.

Strike 3 - When Walt and Anthony accompany Patton Oswalt's character to the first guy on the list of potential tool thieves, they confront a man in his driveway. The man says he is in a good mood because he just got back from camping. The dude is black. When was the last time you saw black people camping? Let alone a black family? I think Chris Rock once said black people know better than to hang out in the middle of the forest surrounded by rednecks.

And furthermore, when some tools get stolen out of the back of a pick-up in small town America, the film paint this picture where one of the local thieves must of done it; local thieves who all know each other and talk about their latest thievery... In reality its just some random meth head who sees an opportunity to make a quick buck and acts on it. Any amateur thief knows not to brag about it.

This film is just unbelievable and implausible on so many levels. I could go on and on. Bad film. Waste of time. The only reason it gets 2 stars as opposed to one- is somehow they convinced a few notable actors to do this film- and the acting is the only standout in this film.

Feel Good Movie About Father and Son

[fixitjamie · 8/10 · 29 August 2021]

Every dad (ok, all of us) has flaws. Sometimes kids, help us see our flaws, and make us want to do better. This movie isn't a blockbuster movie with all sorts of action, but well worth the 102 minutes. It held my interest throughout the entire movie. Pretty decent acting from Jaeden Martell, who plays Anthony.

Movie is OK, BUT it's not COMEDY

[belphegor8818 · 3/10 · 9 January 2017]

I gave 3 stars mostly because of genre, it states that it is COMEDY, and I was prepared to watch some comedy, but it was pure life DRAMA. Movie is OK, i watched better, but its not bad. I was pretty disappointed because I expected to watch some fun-time comedy, and not drama.

About actors; they ware good. Clive Owen, is often underrated as an actor, where hi does his usual solid performance as a recovering alcoholic-father. But it is the supporting actors who bring this drama spotlight. Jaeden Lieberher, who plays the kid role, is good, and you can enjoy his performance as young drama actor.

Go see The Confirmation

[yusufpiskin · 9/10 · 3 November 2019]

The Confirmation written and directed by Bob Nelson (the man who also wrote the Alexander Payne film Nebraska) is better at talking about faith and spirituality in its 100 mins of screen time than any so called "Christian" or "new-faith" film that has come out in the last ten years. The empathy shown for many of the side characters is remarkable and just goes to show how good of a dramatist Bob Nelson is. Take that God's Not Dead, the least empathetic film from a Christian perspective I've ever seen. It wishes it was half as good as The Confirmation. If only Christian filmmakers would get the dollar signs out their eyes. Sorry for the mini rant. Go see The Confirmation, not a perfect film, but one that earns it's happy resolutions and lessons learned through great story telling, acting, and direction.